2026-10-12 16:18:18
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CHAPTER TEN: Someone Older Than Desmond
The discovery settled over Barrett as he sank into his chair. “What has Desmond been doing for the past six years if he didn’t start it?”“Using it.” Thane sat at the desk and looked at the registry document again, searching for any sign of how far back the structure went. “Someone built the infrastructure. Desmond got access to it and started diverting money through it — to cover gambling debts and whatever else he was carrying.”“That’s a significant assumption.”“It’s the only one that fits what we know.” Thane leaned back, running the timeline in his head. “Desmond joined the board eight years ago. Cordell Holdings was already running for two years by then. Whoever built this system wasn’t waiting for Desmond specifically. They built something patient — something that would work no matter who stepped into it.”“Which means we’re not looking for one embezzler,” Barrett said, quieter now. “We’re looking for whoever designed the whole system Desmond has been exploiting.”“Yes.”“Any
CHAPTER NINE: Desmond Notices
The following morning, Desmond called Thane to his office, and Thane could feel the tone in which he'd been called suggested that this was far from a routine meeting."I want you to close the door," Desmond said as Thane entered the room.Thane closed the door, feeling the usual atmosphere of Desmond's office enveloping him — the leather couches, the pictures of the decades-old premieres hanging on the walls, the deliberate display of power which used to feel like home but now seemed as if he was standing inside the scheme of his own downfall."Sit down," Desmond ordered.Thane did, his expression blank, his chest constricting."Now, I received an interesting call this morning," Desmond began, "my friend at the board pointed out that Rosalind Fairweather asked if she could arrange a private lunch with you yesterday."Thane didn't utter a single word. "That's right.""Didn't know you were going to date her outside the gala.""She didn't, actually, contacted me after the accident and wa
Chapter 8: A name I haven't earned yet
The invitation came three days later, not via the usual channels within Halcyon, but via a personal assistant who called Thane's cell phone directly, which told him just as much as the invitation.The assistant said “Ms. Fairweather would like to meet you for lunch privately on Thursday. She said not to tell anyone at Halcyon in advance.”"Any particular reason?"“She said that you would understand when you got there.”He didn't fully know why, but he accepted it, and was curious enough about what a member of Halcyon's controlling family wanted from him in private to put aside the unease the secrecy provoked.---The restaurant she had selected was in a quiet corner of the city, a place that didn't have to advertise itself. He arrived to find Rosalind already seated, a glass of wine untouched in front of her, her expression measured and curious, as he recalled from the night of the gala.She said “Thank you for coming on short notice,” motioning him to sit. “I believe the secrecy is s
Chapter 7: The first real thread
Barrett spread the contents of the folder across the kitchen table, arranging them with the careful precision of a man who'd spent hours organizing evidence he didn't fully understand yet."I pulled the vendor files like you asked," he said. "Three years, exactly like you specified. But going through them, I noticed something that didn't sit right, so I pulled two more years on top of that, just to see if the pattern held.""What pattern?"Barrett slid a printed spreadsheet across the table, several rows highlighted in yellow. "This vendor here — Ashgrove Creative Logistics. They've been billing Halcyon for post-production services on nearly a dozen projects over the last five years. Standard enough on its face.""But?""But I cross-referenced their billing addresses against public filings, and Ashgrove Creative Logistics doesn't have a permanent office anywhere. It's registered to a mailbox rental service downtown. No employees listed on any professional networking site. No physical
Chapter 6: An alliance neither of us trusts
Thane was wary even before he sat down, having been invited personally by Corwin Ellery himself. They met at a restaurant two blocks away from the studio, a place where they rarely went together to be recognized."You wonder why I invited you here," Corwin said, filling up glasses of water for them even before a waiter arrived."The thought did cross my mind""In that case, I will spare us both the pleasantries." Corwin folded his hands on the table. "I think Desmond's mismanaged the vendors for years, I think there's inefficiency in this studio's budget that neither of us can really get a hold of, and I think you've started investigating that exact issue, given how much time you've spent locked in your office this week rather than in the hallway at the studio."Thane's face was unreadable, but with every statement he was estimating Corwin's capacity to become more and more impressed. "This is a specific theory.""It is the only thing I can brag about and say I pay attention to." Corw
Chapter 5: Rig fell at gala
The Halcyon Legacy Gala transformed the soundstage of the largest of the studio's soundstages into a sea of light and noise: champagne towers, a live orchestra in one corner, a red carpet across a concrete floor that was typically used for green screens and camera dollies. As he passed through it, he drank his drink without finishing it, looked at the crowd, and kept his mind on the files Barrett had promised him.Desmond came up to him at his elbow, as if he were at his own funeral, and he spoke with the confidence of one who had everything he needed. “Smile Thane, this is a celebration,”"Just tired."“You have been very sleepy this whole week.” His tone was warmly expressive, but Desmond studied him a moment too long, something unreadable behind that expression. “I hope everything is in order with Ellery," "Signed this morning." It was true, in theory — Thane had signed a corrected version, one with the inflated line item tucked away in language so thick that Desmond probably woul
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